For the love of notebooks

Bengal Boi has been hosting their notebook fair, Khata Kolom Utshob, at their premises in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, from January 26. The fair ended yesterday on February 4. Several paper and crafts stores, including Sevendays Notes, SM Products, Raintree Products, and Dyu Publications, set up stalls at the venue. The products on display comprised notebooks, notepads, tote bags, and other stationery merchandise. 

Bengal Boi intends to boost cultural activities and promote businesses working with art-related products. Having organised several cultural events, the bookstore has been striving to promote local arts and crafts. 

"We want to use this space as a medium to connect our readers with products that accompany their habit of reading. Be it a notebook to jot down their thoughts, or a tote bag to carry books, we want readers to stroll across these colourful stalls to pick their favourites", Golam Sarwar Farouqui, Operational Manager of Bengal Boi Ltd., told The Daily Star. 

Farouqui extended his gratitude towards the readers for their participation and revealed that the footfall has been remarkable. The participating businesses also pointed out that initiatives like these help them revive their craftsmanship. "We have noticed that our readers, especially the young ones, love collecting notebooks. These are always in great demand even inside our bookstore. Over the years, notebook covers have become all the more fascinating and cover art is becoming a new creative sector these days," he explained.

Sevendays Notes specialise in producing handcrafted notebooks and offered 20% on all its items at display. Their most popular items include notebooks of the 'City' series. At the fair, they had launched several new notebooks in this series including Rajshahi, Khulna, Chattogram, and Sylhet. Additionally. Visitors were purchasing their multifunctional totes, which come in a range of patterns. 

SM Products presented their signature collection of Talisman notebooks and notepads which were sold exclusive of the VAT. Their basic notebooks are any stationery hoarders' favourite, as the paper quality and craftsmanship is unparalleled. These notebooks are just for scribbling thoughts but also serve an artistic purpose and come in various sizes. 

Raintree Products had a wide collection of simple notebooks with colourful and funky covers. From motivational quotes to cartoons, the stall had a variety of notebook covers to choose from and were a favourite among young visitors. A part of the stall also sold other stationery items, like pencil cases and colouring sets.

Finally, Dyu Publications is a new entrant in the notebook business market and displayed several aesthetically pleasing notebooks, that were multipurpose in nature. Some of the notebooks featured Van Gogh's artworks, and their small notebooks are really easy to carry around just in case you feel like jotting down something significant.